Porsche Motorsport is celebrating a major milestone with the production of its 5,000th Cup 911 racing car based on the Porsche 911 model. The first Cup 911 was built in 1990 for the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland and it has since become one of the most widely produced racing vehicles in the world, with 34 Porsche-approved one-make cup series now contested globally.
The Cup 911 has evolved from a technology-based production model to a thoroughbred racing car, with the current Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (model series 992). The latest 911 GT3 Cup features a computer-aided safety cell, a sequential dog-box transmission with shift paddles on the steering wheel, a carbon-fiber body, and cockpit components, and a rear wing that can be adjusted in 11 positions.
The six-cylinder boxer engine, with an output of 503 horsepower, is virtually identical to that of the road-legal Porsche 911 GT3, except for the racing exhaust system and special engine electronics. The unchanged output means that the four-liter naturally aspirated engine does not need to undergo servicing during an entire Supercup or Carrera Cup season.
"More than 5,000 Cup 911s – this impressive figure symbolizes the huge success of our worldwide Porsche one-make cups like no other. It also stands for the high level of popularity that Porsche enjoys among teams, racing professionals, young drivers, and amateur racers around the world. No other Porsche racing car has been produced in such large numbers or raced more frequently," said Oliver Koppen, Manager One-Make Series and GT Sport, Porsche Motorsport Sales.
In fact, Porsche has made so many Cup 911s, it has built more than most special-edition, road-legal models from other brands.
The Cup 911 racing car is produced at the same assembly line as the Porsche 911 production models at the main facility in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen, with an average build time of around eight hours. For the 2023 season, a special Porsche 911 GT3 Cup will be campaigned in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, driven by prominent guest drivers at selected rounds of the international one-make cup. The 5,000th racing car will feature a commemorative livery, distinguishing it from the rest of the field.